At some point, all writers who are serious must, ironically, not take themselves too seriously. Case in point is my recent book tour in Iowa (the setting for my three Thomas O'Shea mysteries). The tour included nine cities and ten bookstores, all small, independent bookstores (I won't work with the big chains). There were a couple of places where no one showed up. The event was promoted by my book concierge on social media as well as the local bookstores themselves. Chairs were set up, a desk for me, and books on display. Crickets.
At other stops, books were sold and one stop in particular was a delight with a good crowd, enjoyable Q & A, and a short reading. Every stop agreed to take on my novels to sell, so that was a good thing. My long-suffering wife calls it "sowing seeds."
It happens to famous writers. Jeffrey Deavers, he of multiple best sellers, including The Bone Collector (which was made into a great Denzel Washington movie), has had no-shows at his events, too. The lesson learned for me was that I'm not in charge of everything. And that is a good thing. A sense of humor about oneself serves as a balm when life gets bumpy.
